Convertible hammer mill and silage cutter



May.' 3.0, 1.939- F. w. BRANNQN v 2,160,695 l CONVERTIBLE HAMMER MILLSILAGE GUTTER May 30,A 1939. F. w. 'BRANNON 2,160,695

CONVERTIBLE HAMMER MILL AND s-ILAGE CUTTER Filed April 7, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 2 M MMM am Patented Mey 30, 1939 UNITED STATES vPATENTOFFICE CONVERTIBLE HAMMER mu. -ANn smliGE CUTTER Frank W. Brannon,deceased. late of Luthersville,

Ga., Moreland, Ga.

by' James C. Brannon, administrator,

Application April 7, I191W, Serial No. 135,572

claims. loi. 83-11) One of-the principal -objects of this invention 5 isthe provision of an improved rotor structure designed to permit thematerials to be ground to be more readily delivered to all parts of therotor and including series of swinging hammers which latter operate moreefficiently than the solid or notched type heretofore inv use since asingle hammer can be replaced more easily and at less cost than theentire section.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a shredder headof rigid hammer construction designed to break up the materials to beground'as they enter the rotor and direct them upwardly in the path ofthe nishing or swinging hammers, thereby greatly increasing the capacityof the machine without increasing the power requirements.

Another object of this invention vis the provision of a larger screenarea comprising remov'- able screens designed .to give increasedcapacityand decreased clogging of the machine and at the same time permittinginstant removal of the screens to convert the machine from a hammer orfeed mill into an ensilage machine.

Another object of this invention is the provision ofblower or fan bladesadjustable with re-` spect to the motor to vary the air supply inaccordance with the particular operating requirements.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a machineof this character having a sectional casing hinged so that the upperportion may be moved to render the rotor accessible and permit readyremoval of the screens, said casing having'a horizontal discharge forthe milled material which allows a larger screen area 40 than thevertical discharge type heretofore in use. 'e

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent as thedescription pro-V ceeds, the invention resides in the construction,

combination and-arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully describedand claimed, and illus- `trated in the accompanying drawings, in whichlike characters of reference indicate'like parts Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional view,taken on the line 4 4' of Fig. 3. The machines of thisgeneral type have proven decient by being Vso constructed as to obstructandprevent the material readily penetrating all 5 parts of the rotor asit is ted thereto, having reduced screen area, inaccessibility oi theinterior construction, not readily convertible from one type of mill toanother, and having limited capacity, and it was to overcome suchdeficiencies by 10 providing a greater screen area thereby increasingthe capacity of the machine without increascomprising a rigid hammerstructure, a unique l5 shredder head comprising rigid hammers of varyinglengths, and a large diameter rotor structure designed to operate atalcomparatively low speed thereby tending to reduce belt friction anden# abling the use of anordinary farm tractoror en- 20 gine without'theemployment oi' a speed jack, the low speed being made possible by thelarge diameter rotor which gives high peripheral speed at a low R. P. M.of the drive shaft, and including adjustable fan blades, that the devicewas de- 25 signed forming the subject matter of this invention.

In the illustrated embodiment characterizing this invention thereisshown a housing or casing A, a ground material receiving hopper B, and30 rotor structure C'.

The casing A comprises a pair of, in the presentinstanca rectangularside members I formed with end anges 2 and bottom anges 3. Suitablymounted intermediate sides l and constitut- 35 ing the end and bottomwalls of the lower half of the casing is a semi-circulary member-4secured and supported by bolts 5 connecting the respective sides ,ladjacent the outer surface of said member l and uniting said members andsides 40 into a unitary structure. The flanges 3j of sides I areadapt'edto seat on respective runnersupports 6 to which they are secured bybolts 1 or other fastening means. Said supports 6 extend substantiallybeyond one end of the casing for a 4g ber l, said member 8 is formed atits' rear edge 50 with rearwardly extending spaced earmembers 9 suitablysecured to the respective sides ofu'said member 8 and also suitablysecured intermediate said ears is a reinforcing angle member I0.Therfree ends of said ears l are apertured. to receive A engage thebifurcated end I1 of angle member.

I8 bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the lower front edge ofcasing section 8, the free end of said.l bolt I6 threadedly carries nutI9 adapted to lock the lower section and section 8 ofthe casing inclosed position as will be apparent. Said bolt is readily removable topermit opening of said` member 8 by handle 20 bolted or otherwisesuitably secured to said member as will be apparent.

A substantially triangular opening 2i is formed in one side of topportion 8 .of the casing through which the material to be milled is fed.as will hereafter more fully appear.

suitably connected to said casing A at the bottom,thereof is 'dischargeblower pipe or conduit (a) formed with a horizontal discharge section22, a vertical section 23, and a substantially horizontal section 24with its upper end extending through opening 25 in the side wall ofhopper section 26. A funnel like portion 21 is formed at its lower endwith discharge opening 2B and at its upper end with ilange 28 adapted toembrace the lower edge or hopper section 26 to which it is suitablysecured, said'member 21 constituting the bottom section of hopper B aswill be apparent. Hopper Bis supported on opposite sides by angle ironsupports 30 having their upper ends bolted or otherwise suitably securedthereto as at 3| and their lower ends bent to form feet 32 adapted toseat on and secured to the ends of runners G'by bolts 23. Said hopper isfurther supported by brace members 34 with their lower ends mounted onbolt II connected to the respective supports 2li by bolts 35 andextending upward at an angle therefrom with their upper ends secured toilange 2l by bolts'I 26.

At the bottom of casing A. member 4 is formed with an opening '31adapted to receive the end of section 22' of blower pipe (a) andsuitably mounted in said casing is a screen (b) extending from the upperedge of the end of pipe 22 as at 22 spaced from the inner surface ofmember 4 gradually extending toward the inner surface of top section 8and intercepting said surface as at l! thereby forming the graduallyenlarged passagel 4t from 28 to 38 from which point horizontal dischargesection 22-of pipe (al forms a continuation vof said passage. vSaidscreen (b) is divided into a' lower section 4I and upper sectionv42, thelatter being suitably mounted in upper casing section 8 as will be clearwithout further discussion. 'J'.he screen section (11n) really iorms acontinuation of wall member 4 with respect to rotor C which is mountedtherein as will hereinafter more fully appear. i Y A Secured to therespective sides I vadjacent their upper edges by bolts'42 is an angleiron support u, on the laterally extending fiance Il or which is mountedball bearing 4l secured thereto by.,

a mart' u is ioumaued inv bearings Au and'v ""pfrside I at 4the loweredge of opening!! is suitably formed to constitute a cutting edge Il!adapted to cooperate with cutter blades 52 bolted;orotherwbcsecuredtoringmcmber Il andnnge reinforce disk 4I to which itmay be bolted or otherwise secured. Mounted on said shaft intermediateknife 52 and hub 54 are the rigid hammers 55, 56, and 51 separated bywashers 5l and keyed or otherwise iixedly secured to said shaft, A

said hammers being of varying lengths and extending at angles withrespect to each other to form theshredder head (c). Mounted intermediatedisk 49 and ring member v5I), their outer `ends normally adjacent the'outer edges of said disk and ring, are a plurality of equi-spaced fanor blower blades 59 formed with parallel right angle flanges BG, one ofsaid flanges being secured to disk by two bolts 6I and the othersimilarly secured to ring IIL In the present instance each of saidflanges is formed with four apertures 62 which permits said blades to beadjusted inwardly or outwardly with respect to the circumferential edgeof the rotorjas shown in dotted line at 63 in order to control the airflow through screen (b), passing 4l, horizontal discharge section 22,and blower pipe (a) according to the particular operating requirements.It will be observed that these blades, in the present instance four innumber, additionally act as reinforcing means for the rotor sections 4'9land 50. At diametrically opposite points spaced from the outer edge ofthe rotor is a bolt 6 4 extending through disk 49 and ring i0. Aplurality of swinging hammers 6i apertured at one end to receive bolt 64so that when in extended position the ends of said hammers will projectbeyond the circumferential edge of the rotor as-at i4 when the rotor isin operation.l Mounted on 'said bolt intermediate each of-said hammersis a spacer washer 61. In the present instance thereiare two series ofthese hammers including nine in each series.

On one end of said shaft 4I adjacent opening v2| is suitably mounted aworm 84 adapted to mesh with worm gear il mounted on conveyor drum 10over which is adapted to travel conveyor belt 1I extending at rightangles to opening 2I and adapted to deliver theretomaterial to be cut byrotor C. overlying the end of conveyor belt 1I is a feed-guide trough12; one end suitably supported adjacent to and conforming to the widthof said opening 2 I, and the other end conforming to the width ofconveyor belt 1I and supported by brace 13 withits upper end secured tomember 12 adjacent its outer end and its lower end lsecured to-side I bybolt l. The other end of shaft 4I has suitably mounted thereon pulley 14keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereto which is adapted to bedriven by belt 15 from an engine or a suitablesource of power not shown.

While the operation of the device would seem to be clear from the abovedescription.' it might bewell to further state that thematerial to' beacted on by the device when being operated as a hammer mill is fed toopening 2l by conveyor'll and as it enters said opening is cut by the,cutterv kniv andcoming into contact with the shredder head is broken upor further reduced and thrown against the screen where the swing hammersreduce it'to the degree of fineness to be blown throllll the screenbythe air produced by the fan blades, then dischargedfrom said casing.through the horizontal' discharge section 22, and

caredbysaidairblastthroughblowerpipem) let formed inthe lower sectionand vforming a continuation of said discharge passage, an inletopeningformed in the side of said upper section, ,A

into hopper 26 for delivery to a proper container as desired.

-To convert the device from a hammer mill to a silage cutter readilywithout the necessity of removal of bolts and the like, it is onlynecessary to open the top sectiony 8, remove therefrom formed withaxially positioned rigid hammers' .and

cooperating circumferentially mounted swinging hammers, adjustablechannel blower blades, a horizontal discharge by virtue of which agreater screen area is effected thereby increasing the capacity of themachine, andl a casing and screen structure permitting readyaccessibility to the interior of the rotor and effecting practicallyinstant conversion from a dry material mill to a silage cutter, saidextra screen area, shredder .head structure and ball bearing mountingseffecting a reduction in horsepower requirements per ton of materialsground or cut, said device comprising few parts. compact in form,manufacturable at a minimum of cost, and emcient for the purposesintended.

Although in practice it has beenfound that the form of the inventionillustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and referred to in the abovedescription as the preferred embodiment is the most elcient andpractical, yet realizing that conditions concurrent with the adoption ofthe -40- invention will necessarily vary, it is well to emphasize thatvarious minor changes in details of construction, proportion andarrangement of parts, may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims withoutdeparting from or sacricing any of the principlesof this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what -is desired protected byLetters Patent -is as set forth in the following claims:

1. A feed material convertible hammer mill and silage cutter-including asectional hinged casing having inlet and outlet openings, eachsectionhaving mounted therein a detachable screen section so arranged withrespect to said casingas to form a discharge passage communicating withsaid outlet whenthe casing is closed, a rotatable member journaledwithin the casing and constituting a combination cutter and hammer,

said member including a drive shaft, a disk secured to the shaft, acutter supporting ring adjacent the inlet opening, spacer rodsinterconnecting the disk and ring adjacent their peripheries, knifemeans mounted on and connected to opposite points of the ring forcutting the matelrial as it is fed through said inlet opening, reducingmeans carried by said spacer rods, adjustable fanzblades interconnectingsaid disk and ring adjacent their peripheries at diametrically oppositepoints adapted to propel the material through said screen and passage.and hammer means mounted on said drive shaft intermediatesaid ring anddisk rigidly secured to said shaft.

2. A feed material convertible hammer mill and "silagcutter including ahinged casing section having a sectional screen spaced from said caslingto form a discharge passage, a horizontal outa rotatable memberjournaled within the casing and constituing a combination cutter andham.

mer, said member including a shaft, a disk rigidly .connected to theshaft, a cutter supporting ring,

spacer rods interconnecting the disk and ring ad` jacent theirperipheries, material reducing hammer units mounted `on said spacerrods, each unit comprising a plurality of` swinging hammers, 1

a cutter connected to the ring at opposite points and operative adjacentsaid inlet opening for cutting the material fed therethrough, a seriesof rigid hammers fixedly mounted on said shaft adapted to coact onsaid'cut material midway of said ring and disk and tending to direct thesame into the path of said hammer units, and a plurality of radiallyadjustable fan blades interconnecting said ring and disk adjacent theirperipheries, whereby the air blasts adapted to propel the reducedmaterial through the screen and passage may be varied in accordance withoperating requirements.

3. A convertible hammermill and silage cutter including a casing, arotatable member journaled within the casing constituting a combinationcutte'r and hammer, said member including a shafta disk rigidly mountedon the shaft, a

cutter supporting ring, spacer rods'interconnecting the disk and ring atspaced points adjacent their peripheries, swinging hammer units mountedon said spacer rods, a plurality of fan blades interconnecting said ringand disk adjacent their peripheries and radially adjustable with respectthereto, a cutter connected to the ring at opposite points, a shredderhead material reducing means rigidly mounted on said shaft intermediatesaid disk and ring, said casing including a lower section formed with anoutlet opening and a hinged upper section formed with an inlet openingat right angles to said ring, coacting screen means carried by saidcasing sections adapted to form a discharge passagel partiallysurrounding said rotatable member and communicating with said outletopening.

4. A feed material convertible hammer mill and silage cutter comprisinga sectional hinged casing having inlet and outlet openings, arotatablemember journaled within the casing and constituting a combination cutterand hammer, said member including a shaft, a disk keyed to the shaft, acutter supporting ring, spacer rods interconnecting the disk and ringadjacent their peripheries, a plurality of hammers pivotly mounted onsaid spacer rods, a cutter supported by said shaft and ring, andoperative adjacent to said inlet opening, said cutter being formed intwo sections, their outer ends being connected to the ring at oppositepoints and their inner ends fixed to said shaft, a sectional foraminouspartition curved about the center of rotation of the rotatablememberadjacent its peripheral edge to form an exhaust passage connectingwith said outlet, a plurality' of fan blades interconnecting said ringand disk adjacent their peripheries and radially adjustable with respectthereto, a series of hammers keyed in spaced relation to said shaftmidway of said disk and ring so as to permit the cut material to passfrom the inlet opening over and toward said disk and adapted to directsaid 'material .into the path of said first mentioned hammers, conveyormeans operatively connected tosaid rotatable member' for feeding themate- 'rial thereto, and means` for driving said member. 75

5. A convertible hammer mill and silage cutter comprising a rotorincluding spaced disk and ring members, series of spaced swinging hammerunits mounted intermediate and attached to said disk and ring adjacenttheir peripheries and in circumferential spaced relation, a plurality oiian blades interconnecting said disk and ring and radially adjustablewith respect to their periph--4 eries, a drive shaft on which is rigidlymounted 10 said disk, 'a shredder head material reducing' meanscomprising rigid hammer elements angulax-ly and iixedly mounted withrespect to each other on said drive shaft centrally of said disk andring, a casing adapted to embrace said rotor formed with an inlet and anoutlet opening,

cutter means carried by said ring member, and

detachable coacting screen means carried by said casing adapted to forma discharge passage partially surrounding said rotor and communicatinglwith said outlet; openins.

JAMES C. BRANNON, Administrator of the Estate of Frank W. Brannon,

